It is winter 1139 and the tranquil life in the monastery gardens in Shrewsbury is again interrupted by violence. Raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two orphans from a noble family, a boy of thirteen and an eighteen year old girl of great beauty, with their companion, a young Benedictine nun. But the trio have disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside. Cadfael fears for these three lost lambs, but his skills are needed to tend to a wounded monk, found naked and bleeding at the roadside. Why this holy man has been attacked and what his fevered ravings reveal soon give brother Cadfael a clue to the fate of the missing travellers and he sets out to find them. The search will lead him to discover a chilling and terrible murder, and a tale of passion gone astray.
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Charming and humorously told. (SPECTATOR)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
In his sixth chronicle Brother Cadfael is again caught up with the effects of civil war when two orphans disappear in the winter storms.
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First Sentence
It was early in November of 1139 that the tide of civil war, lately so sluggish and inactive, rose suddenly to sweep over the city of Worcester, wash away half its livestock, property and women, and send all those of its inhabitants who could get away in time scurrying for their lives northwards away from the marauders, to burrow into hiding wherever there was manor or priory, walled town or castle strong enough to afford them shelter. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was early in November of 1139 that the tide of civil war, lately so sluggish and inactive, rose suddenly to sweep over the city of Worcester, wash away half its livestock, property and women, and send all those of its inhabitants who could get away in time scurrying for their lives northwards away from the marauders, to burrow into hiding wherever there was manor or priory, walled town or castle strong enough to afford them shelter. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
NOTE THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE VIRGIN IN THE ICE.
This is the 6th book in the Brother Cadfael series. Ellis Peters had hit her stride. A great central character- on who each story hangs- great setting a largely not well know period of English History The `Civil' war between King Stephen and The Empress Maud and .
The fact that the period is now much better know is largely down to Peters.
She writes well paced and interesting stories.
Now the majority of her stories are `Whodunits' but this is not really that type. Never the less it is a cracking tale and moves at a brisk pace.
Three people are- missing. One a young Lord- Ives, his sister a noted dark haired beauty and their guardian- a young Benedictine Nun.
One of them is found dead- frozen in an iced covered stream- the Virgin of the title.
We know who has done it but the book and tale twist and turns as there is a race against time to discover the remaining two of the trio.
Now to this production.
It's dramatized by the BBC- always a hall mark of excellence.
The story is in place in full and moves at a really satisfyingly brisk pace that really conveys the race against time to discover the remaining two of the trio.
Bert Coules has really done a fine job in his dramatizing of the book.
The late Phillip Madoc is simply wonderful he really is THE Brother Cadfael. His fine Welsh accent is to my ear exactly how I expected Brother Cadfael to sound.
Don't get me wrong the televised version of Cadfael with Derek Jacobi was good but I, along with many others believe that Madoc would have been the better.- We will now, of course never know but we are left with this splendid series on Audio.... Read more ›
This is the 6th book in the Brother Cadfael series. Ellis Peters had hit her stride. A great central character- on who each story hangs- great setting a largely not well know period of English History The `Civil' war between King Stephen and The Empress Maud and .
The fact that the period is now much better know is largely down to Peters.
She writes well paced and interesting stories.
Now the majority of her stories are `Whodunits' but this is not really that type. Never the less it is a cracking tale and moves at a brisk pace.
Three people are- missing. One a young Lord- Ives, his sister a noted dark haired beauty and their guardian- a young Benedictine Nun.
One of them is found dead- frozen in an iced covered stream- the Virgin of the title.
We know who has done it but the book and tale twist and turns as there is a race against time to discover the remaining two of the trio.
Now to this production.
It's dramatized by the BBC- always a hall mark of excellence.
The story is in place in full and moves at a really satisfyingly brisk pace that really conveys the race against time to discover the remaining two of the trio.
Bert Coules has really done a fine job in his dramatizing of the book.
The late Phillip Madoc is simply wonderful he really is THE Brother Cadfael. His fine Welsh accent is to my ear exactly how I expected Brother Cadfael to sound.
Don't get me wrong the televised version of Cadfael with Derek Jacobi was good but I, along with many others believe that Madoc would have been the better.- We will now, of course never know but we are left with this splendid series on Audio.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the 6th book in the Brother Cadfael series. Ellis Peters had hit her stride. A great central character- on who each story hangs- great setting and a largely not well know period of English History The `Civil' war between King Stephen and The Empress Maud.
The fact that the period is now much better know is largely down to Peters.
All the great series of books have that essential - a character on who the action hangs.
Think of Arthur Conan-Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Peter's Cadfael is in that genre.
Ellis Peters writes well paced and interesting stories.
Firstly you do not have to have read the preceding 5 to get the full benefit. Nothing in the 5 is needed to understand and `get' the plot.
Now the majority of her stories are `Whodunits' but this is not really that type. Never the less it is a cracking tale and moves at a brisk pace.
Three people are- missing. One a young Lord- Ives, his sister a noted dark haired beauty and their guardian- a young Benedictine Nun. There father was a noted supporter on the Empress Maud and they are at large in King Stephen supporting lands.
One of them is found dead- frozen in an iced covered stream- the Virgin of the title.
We know who has done it but the book and tale twist and turns as there is a race against time to discover the remaining two of the trio.
The story moves along at a really satisfying pace.
If you love Cadfael books, the TV series or good historical fiction then this is a really great book to read.
Recommended.
The fact that the period is now much better know is largely down to Peters.
All the great series of books have that essential - a character on who the action hangs.
Think of Arthur Conan-Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Peter's Cadfael is in that genre.
Ellis Peters writes well paced and interesting stories.
Firstly you do not have to have read the preceding 5 to get the full benefit. Nothing in the 5 is needed to understand and `get' the plot.
Now the majority of her stories are `Whodunits' but this is not really that type. Never the less it is a cracking tale and moves at a brisk pace.
Three people are- missing. One a young Lord- Ives, his sister a noted dark haired beauty and their guardian- a young Benedictine Nun. There father was a noted supporter on the Empress Maud and they are at large in King Stephen supporting lands.
One of them is found dead- frozen in an iced covered stream- the Virgin of the title.
We know who has done it but the book and tale twist and turns as there is a race against time to discover the remaining two of the trio.
The story moves along at a really satisfying pace.
If you love Cadfael books, the TV series or good historical fiction then this is a really great book to read.
Recommended.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio Cassette
Having read one of Ellis Peter's Cadfael books and been left totally unimpressed by it I bought this tape on the grounds that it was a BBC production and therefore probably pretty good.
I'm glad I did. This production is absolutely superb. It really captures the atmosphere of the piece - listen to it in a darkened room and you'll swear that you've been transported to medieval Shrewsbury. At one point it even succeeds in making you feel cold as the characters battle through a snowstorm!
The casting is spot on. Philip Madoc has a truly magnificent voice - listening to him is the aural equivalent of comfort food - and you can quite imagine why the townsfolk would head to his Cadfael with their problems. In addition the voice of Paddington Bear, Michael Hordern, is the narrator.
The story itself concerns the plight of 2 children who have been forced to flee Worcester during a battle between King Stephen and Empress Maud. The boy, Ives, turns up unharmed but his sister is nowhere to be found. Cadfael organises a search which leads to the discovery of a young woman's body, frozen beneath the ice. But the story has only just begun.
If you enjoy audiobooks then this will be a welcome addition to your collection. If not, then this might well be the tape to get you hooked.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This sixth in the series of tales of Brother Cadfael is less obviously a whodunit and much more of a thriller or twelfth century adventure story. It is set in the English Marches, amidst the chaos ensuing from the sacking of Worcester by supporters of the Empress Maud against King Stephen in November 1139. The action takes place in Ludlow, mid-way between Cadfael's normal haunts of Shrewsbury, and the beleaguered city of Worcester, where our hero is ostensibly nursing back to health a Benedictine brother who has seemingly been waylaid by a band of outlaws, stripped and left for dead.
Whilst in Ludlow, Cadfael also finds himself embroiled in the hunt for a party of three young persons missing after the attacks on Worcester and known to be heading for Shrewsbury, at which destination they have failed to arrive. With a bitter freeze on hand and the winter's first snows, there are grave concerns for their safety and well-being. One of the three is subsequently found dead - obviously killed and dumped in a watery (now icy) grave on the very night that the good monk's patient was attacked.
Unlike many another Cadfael tale, this one moves along with a gripping sense of urgency and with a fair amount of tension and excitement building gradually as things proceed. It contains the usual Ellis Peters' meticulous attention to both historical and narrative detail and constitutes as riveting - and entertaining - a story as you are likely to find. As always, Cadfael is aware of details overlooked by others and never once loses sight of the smaller issues that are wont to become subsumed into the larger, weightier ones. He (and the regular reader) is provided with an unlooked-for reward in this volume, too.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
This book is recommended to all fans of Ellis Peters
The book was very good and I enjoyed reading it especially as later on I saw the play in the local tgeatre
Published 23 days ago by S Gaduzo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Virgin In The Ice
Unfortunately it is my mother who enjoys Cadfael, though I can assure you that she has no complaints over this novel. She thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Published 1 month ago by phillip groves
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dirty and tatty!
It is an extremely dirty and tatty copy, I was really disappointed as it was advertised as 'in good condition.'
Published 3 months ago by Mrs Alison Pearce
2.0 out of 5 stars
Another Cadfael murder
A darker Cadfael story, set to the backdrop of a bleak winter and the destruction of Worcester. The murder is more brutal than the deaths in a typical Cadfael yarn, the atmosphere... Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2010 by Mostly Harmless
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece!
This is a masterpiece. The texture is perfect, it sucks you in like a whirlpool and won't let go. The medieval landscape is faultless, both beautiful and frightening, cocooning and... Read more
Published on 29 April 2009 by Book Maven
5.0 out of 5 stars
Revelations and a superb story to boot!
The previous review sets the stroy up nicely. There are a couple of revelations in this story which, if you've not read the later books, will make you jump for joy! Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excitement in the Winter Cold
When the town of Worcester is destroyed, three of those fleeing head towards Shrewsbury. But they don't find safety, just the risks of youngsters travelling through winter snows. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2000
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